Women Army officers eligible for permanent commission – SC judgement
February 22 , 2020 1658 days 1583 0
Recently, in a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court (SC) has upheld a Delhi High Court order of 2010 that seeks to grant permanent commission to women officers at par with their male counterparts.
The women officers will also be eligible for command posts in non-combat areas.
A woman can rise to the rank of Colonel and above based on merit like their male counterparts.
The judgment upheld the right to equality in the Constitution.
Background:
The induction of women officers in the Army started in 1992.
They were commissioned for a period of five years in certain chosen streams under the Women Special Entry Scheme (WSES).
In 2006, WSES was replaced by the Short Service Commission (SSC) scheme.
Under the scheme, women were commissioned into the Army for a period of 10 years extendable up to 14 years.
Thus, women officers were kept out of any command appointment and could not qualify for government pension which starts only after 20 years of service as an officer.